


Revenant~Noir

by Renshar



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: ... its harsh, Adding tags, Anti-Hero, Bee Miraculous, Blood and Violence, Cat Miraculous, D&D ish, Fox Miraculous, Heroes, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I suck at adding tags, Imagine me, Internal Conflict, Ladybug Miraculous, Major Character Undeath, Memory Loss, Return of Magic, Spell Casters, These all sound so cringe..., Threats of Violence, Turtle Miraculous, at 2 oclock at night
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-02
Updated: 2020-02-03
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:08:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21639349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Renshar/pseuds/Renshar
Summary: Paris is plagued not only with Hawkmoth and his akumas, but recently people with powers have been showing up in the city. Some are drawn to the energies of the miraculous and seek to harness them, others felt drawn here by the gathering of powerful magics. What ever has caused this surge in encounters, has increased the dangers that our heroes face everyday by tenfold. Its been almost one year since the teams class graduated from schooling. It was on the anniversary of their graduation that the akuma struck. It was more powerful than any before it. In the fight, tragedy struck. Soon after sightings of something clad in black plagued the city, always with reports of extreme violence, or in a few cases deaths. Our story starts with Ladybug finally getting a lead on this dark assailant after months.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, Hero's of Paris
Comments: 7
Kudos: 7





	1. Ch.1 The Man in Black.

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Marichat May](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/539332) by seasonofthegeek. 



**Revenant~Noir Part 1**

**(Marinette)**

It had been a month,a month since the akuma attacked. A month since she saw her best friend and love of her life die to try and save her. She had barely left her house since then. The akuma disappeared as soon as it came. Alya had called everyday, tying to keep her from completely closing in on herself. It hurt, it still hurts, but she was still Ladybug. That, and Alya (With Tikki's help) had finally convinced her to go out on a patrol. It hadn't taken much, not after she was told about how Nino was nearly put in the hospital by some new threat. Something that shattered his 'Shell-ter' with a single attack. As much as Marinette still wanted to lay down and sob, an entire month of that had done nothing but put everyone left in danger. So here she was staking out an abandoned metro station in the middle of the night, in hopes of finding this black clad shadow. This new villain that rushed through alleyways and streets to brutalize random citizens and then vanish as quickly as they appeared. _"_ _What do we know about you_ _?"_ Ladybug asked herself. First, she had to consider how they only ever seemed to strike at night, and all of the attacks were at or near entrances to La Petite Ceinture and the Catacombs. A cold shiver went up Marinettes spine. The last time she had to deal with the catacombs involved a newly awakened caster, and a small army of skeletons. Not pleasant memories. In-fact, she wouldn't have made it out of the tunnels if not for... " _Chat_..." She whispered under her breath.

There was movement. The shaking of a bush near the station entrance.

Ladybugs head shot up at the sound. While she couldn't hear as well as Rena Rouge, her miraculous still enhanced her hearing a fair bit. 

There it was again, movement by a walking path that leads into the stations tunnel.

" _Hey, are sure we should be hanging out here tonight_ _?"_ said a the young voice of a boy. They entered a space in front of the station. " _Dude, chill out. A few people come by here. Its remote enough that the cops can show up quickly, and if we need to we can make an escape in the tunnels."_ This was said by an older boy, about 17 maybe 18. Now that she could see the pair, she could definitely rule them out as the suspects to her mystery villain. The kid was in baggy shorts and a baggier hoodie with the sleeves rolled up. The older one had jeans and a tee shirt on, he also had had a headband on and the sound of a chain bouncing against itself. His clothes weren't what drew her attention, the switch knife he kept opening and closing in increasingly complicated ways was the focus of her gaze. " _That's not what I meant and you know it! Dude the others all got hit around places like this, dude... Jackie is still in the I.C.U._ _"_ The boy stopped just outside the entrance to the underground part of the station. " _I_ _k_ _now, but don't worry about it. Ever since that akuma attack a month ago, tourists have been flooding the city. Lots of cash filled pockets and purses that need cleaning out. Even better, no one has seen Ladybug out an' about since Chat Noir died! It's our time to shine!"_ The older one said, evading the topic the younger one was trying to bring up. 

" _Okay_ _."_ Ladybug said to herself. She understood that she had been gone for awhile, but where muggers and street thieves really capitalizing on it this much. 

" _Now all we gotta do is wait, and even if Ladybug was done crying over her precious 'Chat Noir' I doubt she would even come by this part of the city."_ The older one said, the emphasis he placed on Chats name made her blood boil. Just as she was about to jump down and relieve some of her frustrations, the younger boy screamed and scrambled toward the older one. " _What! What the hell is wrong with you?!"_ The younger one just cowered and hid behind the older one, pointing a trembling hand toward the underground entrance he had been at moments before. " _Fine! ill go and 'take care' of whatever spooked you so bad._ _"_ He started walking toward the entrance and made to go down the steps. Then he left the ambient light behind and went into the darkness.

Ladybug heard him fish around in his pockets the chains on his belt making ample sounds. A flashlight clicked on and light seemed to seep out of the station. He had left the line of sight of both the boy and Ladybug at this point. " _I swear to GOD! If this is just another big rat or stray dog, I'm actually going to-_ _"_ Another scream ripped through the night. Where as the previous one was filled with fear and panic, this was full of terror and pain. It was a throaty thing that cut off abruptly. Then the light went out.

* * *

Ladybug wasted no time in getting down from her vantage point and started running past the now fleeing kid and through the entrance of the station and into the abandoned tunnel. She could hear footsteps echoing through out the tunnel but she couldn't tell where they were coming from started to look around, but it was too damn dark, she brought her yoyo up and activated its light. At the bend of one of the tunnels a shadow left her sight, carrying a limp teenager. Again, she was running. She really wished that who or what ever this thing was had chosen a lair that was more yoyo friendly. As it was, she was having to sprint after a barely visible figure that seemed to out pacing her by simply walking. It was 30 minutes before she realized she was lost in the catacombs. Not the abandoned metro that she entered but the catacombs... Sconces along regular intervals lit up the cavern walls. Crap. Why didn't she notice the change in location when she was following it? She had gone through what she had assumed was a collapsed tunnel, maybe it was really a breach into the crypts. 

She opened up her yoyo, and tried to bring up her map. Which isn't working... great. What about calling Carapace? no signal. How did she not have any signal? Her carrier was magic, literal magic. She was going to have to talk to Tikki about this later. For now, she had to either find the shadow or find her way out. Both presented challenges, however if this was the same thing that nearly put Nino in the hospital after only a brief fight, she would rather not fight it in an enclosed space. All she could see where rows and rows of bones and remains, it took her an hour before she found something she remembered. Which was a section of the wall that looked like the remains in it had exploded outward. One of the places that the freshly minted necromancer, from several months ago, had raised one of his 'Skeletal guards'. The entire team was still stumped on how they reanimated remains got weapons and armor. 

" _Tell me!"_ A familiar yet cold voice commanded. " _I don't know! I don't know! Please let me go, I won't tell no body your here. Please!"_ The teenager said voice cracking in more than one place. Ladybug became flush with the wall. Where was that coming from? _"Tell me where she is! Now."_ The first voice demanded of the teenage. There was another crater in the wall, where an undead was summoned. A hallow in the stone work left by the energies the necromancer was wielding. Oh crap... she new exactly where she was. Near the center of the Catacombs, where the necromancer had created a literal hole in the wall. He had used his new workforce to carve out a new section in the catacomb walls. Ladybug had seen it exactly once, when she had been lured into a trap and then subsequently rescued by the rest of the team. She turned her head around the corner and saw 3 things which chilled her to the bone. 3 Things that would haunt her dreams for weeks to come.

A rotting pile of filth, meat, and bones. Which, from the shredded remnants of robes, must have been the necromancer. Why was he dead, from the checks they all did, he had left Paris.

The teenager from earlier, now being held up by his throat, and pressed against the wall. The skin of his neck was pale and the veins were a dark unhealthy color. As though oil was being pumped through those arteries.

And a man in black leather with a long tail like belt trailing behind him, black and green ring prominently on his finger. Mask hugging his pale face. His hair was a dull blonde like filthy sunlight. He was holding up a teenage kid with one hand, while positioning the other hand in a threatening manner over the head of his young victim. 

It couldn't be. It was impossible... " _Chat?"_ Marinette said before she could stop herself. HE TURNED. Quickly, he drop the kid and stared at her. " _You."_ he said. His tone quiet and hushed. Now that he was no longer lined up in a profile view. She could see his chest. She could see the hole in his upper torso, right where a heart would be. Ladybug fell back onto her rear. What was going on? Had she hit her head? Maybe Volpina was back, and it was an Illusion. Yes! that's right. This was an illusion! She would ju- He screamed. An ear shattering yowl. Then, he started running. He was halfway down the longest hallway in the catacombs before she snapped back to herself and once again ran after him. _"Don't follow me!"_ He yelled at her, voice shaking. _"Chat! Come back! Please!"_ Marinette called after him. She knew exactly where this tunnel would lead if he just kept running.

A few more minutes and more yelled warnings later. Ladybug was standing in front of the only exit the dead end had. 'Chat Noir' was panicking and trying his best to dig through the stone and bones. _"Chat... is that you?"_ She said. Trying to be as calm as possible considering the circumstances. Which were that her partner was either an illusion and she was about to fall into a trap, or that he had come back from the dead and started beating random citizens. She was slowly stepping closer towards him. He looked at her wide eyed. The slits of his iris's where like needles in a sea of emerald. His ears where pressed flat against his head. He wasn't breathing, but he did take a breath now if only to say _"STOP! Stay away from me! For the love of all that is good please stay away!"_ Ladybug was both confused and concerned by his words. She needed him to explain what the hell was going on. _"Adrien I-"_ He clutched his head in his hands. _"Stop please! Ahh! Don't say that name. Please don't say his name!"_ Now she was just concerned. All thoughts of her own confusion were replaced by worry for her partners mind. What had dying done to him, besides the obvious. She was easily close enough to touch him now. He was curled up on himself, and shaking. he kept muttering _"No, please... Not her..."_ She reached out to hug him. Then she was blinded by a flare of shadows. In the blink of an eye he had changed from a cowering mess, to a storm of claws and teeth. His empowered hand reached for her throat, but slammed into her shoulder instead. The sound her suit made when it broke was like hearing church glass shatter, and then the pain. She was on the ground, right hand clutching her now broken and mangled left shoulder. She looked up, magical darkness being replaced with tunnel vision, in time to see his eyes, now pale green fires, flare and burn in his head. She felt something inside her click, and she was out.

* * *

When she woke up, she was untransformed, she felt like death. She tried to sit up, only to find that she could barely move. _"Tikki? Are you there? Please tell me your here."_ A flash of pink light from her side. Oh hey, now her arm didn't feel like scrambled eggs. Then Tikki flew in front of Marinettes face. A troubled, and slightly angry look on her face. _"Marinette! Oh, I'm so glad you woke up! I thought you were going to die! There was so much blood."_ Now that is was mentioned, Marinette could feel the puddle she was laying in. These clothes would need to be burned... _"How did he do that? Why did he do that!? Are you ok? Oh what am I saying of course your not! Can you move?"_ The gale force speed of Tikki's questions finally subsided, giving Marinette time to actually answer some of them. _"I'm not sure about how well I can move right now. I was bleeding so much. Thank you for healing me."_ Tikki gave her 'The Look'. The one that meant 'I saw that you did not answer all of my questions. We WILL talk about that later.' Tikki then settled onto Marinettes shoulder, the one that should be just a mass of hamburger. She felt like she was going to be sick. _"I am the Kwami of healing, remember? That took a lot of energy though. It was like the magic was eating away at your wound.Lets get you back home. Then We can ' **ALL** ' talk about this." _Tikki said, as she pulled multiple macaroons out of Marinettes bag. _"Ill gwide ou frough the cag-"_ Marinette gave Tikki a look. Who then sheepishly swallowed and gave an innocent smile. _"I'll guide you through the catacombs Then we can zip back home. You should call the others."_ Tikki informed Marinette.

Ladybug walked shakily outside the Catacombs. 

She spent twice as long as she needed to get home. She did, after all, have to find someway to tell her remaining best friends that Chat Noir... That Adrien... was now undead, and that he was haunting the streets of Paris.


	2. Painful Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette has to work with the rest of her team in order to figure out what happened to chat.
> 
> Marinette called everyone who is regularly a super hero: Nino, Alya, and Even Chloe. Only Alya and Nino showed up at Her apartment. Chloe still wasn't answering her phone.  
> Now she has to find out what Happened to Chat, and make sure that Chloe hasn't been targeted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for continuing on with the reading.  
> Also, any grammatical mistakes, or oversights of the information sharing kind made in the first section are intentional. How well do you think at 5 in the morning after a traumatic experience.
> 
> Sorry this one came out so long. It was that, or have 3 short chapters.

(Marinette)

Alya had, reasonably, freaked out at the news that the new mystery enemy was in fact the returned Chat Noir. She had panicked more when she found out about what he had done to Ladybugs shoulder. When Nino heard how he shredded her suit, he paled. He picked up his phone and opened the copies of The Miraculous Book he had saved on there. He was still reading. Chloe... still hadn't shown up. She was the only person who took Adriens death harder than Marinette did. Even with all the panicking, and worry... Marinette had to admit, this was going better than she had hoped. Alya had only screamed 'WHAT' twice when she had explained what happened. Though she wished Tikki would contribute to the conversation a bit more, but she had to recharge. Oddly, transforming twice in one night, and healing her wielder from near death is hard on a kwami. Speaking of night, it was practically morning. It was 3 AM before she even got home, 4 by the time she was done explaining everything.

 _"That's not right."_ Nino muttered to himself. _"That's not how 'Cataclysm' is supposed to work-"_ Before he could finish, another voice piped up. _"That wasn't 'Cataclysm'! It was something different."_

Tikki appeared from out of Marinette's bag, and continued. _"Whatever that was, it didn't feel like the miraculous. It felt wrong, while 'Cataclysm' would have destroyed the suit it would have only done that. It would have broken her transformation and stopped there."_

Nino gave Tikki a look, and said: _"That is exactly what_ ** _I_** _was going to say. According to The Miraculous Book there are protections against 'Cataclysm' built into the magic of your suit. A wielder of the Cat Miraculous can destroy Miraculous, though eventually they'll reform, and even rip apart the magic of the transformation. He shouldn't be able to hurt the Ladybug wielder, at least not with any abilities."_ Marinette interrupted him here. _"Like Tikki was saying, I don't think it was 'Cataclysm'. He didn't say the trigger phrase before he attacked. He just... had the power in his hands."_ Everyone, Tikki included, looked worried at that.

 _"_ Look. _"_ Nino started. _"I'm not sure about a lot else here, I still can't decipher most of this thing. Maybe there is something I missed."_ While Nino had made great progress as a self-taught guardian, the majority of the book was still gibberish to him. 

Alya, apparently tired of being shocked, because she then asked: _"How is this even possible? We all saw him die, my god , we went to his funeral! If he dug his way out of his grave, wouldn't it have made the news or something?"_ That... was a good point. Marinette nodded her head and spoke up. _"We can visit his grave tomorrow morning. Er- this afternoon. Right now, we need to figure out what Chat actually is at the moment. He was talking and even seamed to recognize me... a little. So he can't be a zombie like we fought awhile back. Tikki do you have any idea?"_ Marinette looked at Tikki with a questioning gaze. Tikki responded with _"I... might... It's be ages since the last one was seen."_ She started to hesitate. _"Tikki, please if you know something... anything. Please tell us, even if its just a hunch or seems weird. After all, this isn't exactly a normal situation."_ Since all of this started, back in school, 'weird' had become a very subjective term. Tikki looked at the floor. then said, in hushed tones: _"There shouldn't even be enough ambient magic in the city yet for one to rise. They require so much power."_ She was playing the pronoun game again! _"What does Tikki?"_ Tikki looked up to glance into everyone's eyes. _"He is a Revenant."_ She said. The silence after was deafening. While Marinette and Alya both wore confused expressions, Nino had blanched again. This time so hard he looked like someone had dipped him in bleach.

 _"Well... Shit..."_ Marinette was surprised, Nino was rarely the type to curse. _"Is it that bad?"_ Mari asked. _"Hold on, I think I have a chapter on that bookmarked in my copy. Give me a sec."_ Said Alya, who then made to read her copy of The Miraculous Book. Nino stopped her there with: _"Don't bother, I memorized that section about a month ago. It was hardly even encoded... A plain warning for all to see. Revenants are-"_ Then for the second time, he was interrupted. _"Revenants are powerful undead that return from the grave with a strong sense of vengeance. When someone is killed, or their death is caused by the action of someone else, If the person dying has a strong enough desire for revenge or justice they will return as a Revenant, and... hunt down their killer or killers."_ Alya looked up from her phone for the first time in minutes. _"What?"_ Nino looked her, and sighed. _"Nothing..."_ a chuckle _"Nothing I wasn’t about to say. Sometimes I wonder whether or not_ ** _I'm_** _the new Guardian."_ He shook his head, and continued. _"I'm not sure, but I don't think the book mentions anything about miraculous wielders ever becoming any kind of undead. The Miraculous and the Kwami are supposed to ensure a peaceful afterlife!"_

_"Plagg always did get too attached..."_ Tikki started. _"The Cat Miraculous is a conduit for negative energy and destruction, the opposite of me. It's possible that when Adrien died..."_ She stopped again. 

_"Marinette."_

_"Yea Tikki?"_

_"Remember how I help you heal from any wounds you sustain after a fight. Remember that fight with Mayura, when her sentimonster broke your arm and I was able to heal it after the fight. I'm not the only Kwami that heals their wielder. I'm just the best at it."_ She said with a small note of pride. _"Plagg, could never heal wounds well. He would always leave scars at best, or make his wielder sick at worst..."_

 _"You don't think that..."_ A turtle spirit said, joining the conversation. _"It's taboo! Even you could not complete the ritual. It just takes to much."_ Wayzz seamed in a panic now, practical orbiting Ninos head. 

_"What are you all talking about?"_ Marinette asked looking between Wayzz and Tikki. 

Everyone was silent. while it was clear that the other Kwami all knew the story, it was obviously Tikki's tale to tell. _"When... When my first wielder died."_ She began with. emotion painting her words. _"We had been together for years and years. I loved her so much, and then she was gone. So, I tried to 'heal' her... It didn't go well."_ Her voice started to strain mid way, and it fell apart by the end. 

Tikki flew into Marinettes arms, seeking comfort from the memory. Then Wayzz spoke up again. _"After that, it was made taboo to try and resurrect a wielder. The after effects of all who have tried... created tragedies and horrors alike."_

Tikki shuddered. _"Nothing like this has ever happened before. The best outcome of the ritual is a shadow of the wielder. A shade. Not a Revenant. This should be impossible. If even I could not bring back someone, Plagg should have simply failed."_

 _"He should have let go!"_ Wayzz yelled. Quite a feat for a 2 inch tall turtle. _"We have all been taught to let go when our wielders time comes. Plagg has gone to far this time. Raising Adrien as an undead is not only forbidden, but it could damage the boys very soul!"_

Alya, once again tired of being confused, stepped in. _"Whoa. Hold on you two. First, Tikki. What are you talking about? You have brought people back from death before a lot. When Siren attacked most of the city drowned, when that zombie hoard came through plenty of people were killed and brought back as undead. What is different this time?"_ Marinette had to admit she was wondering the same questions. What was different about Adrien? How had he come back? Was he even him anymore? Does he remember her? She was falling asleep. She could feel herself slipping into it. It was so early. What time was it? It had to be at least 5 by now. Just a few more hours and they could go visit his grave without being incredibly suspicious.

 _"Marinette?"_ Tikki's voice shook Marinette awake. _"As I was telling Alya: In order, Miraculous holder are effected by... its not a curse per say... If a wielder dies, they are meant to be unraisable. They are supposed to have magical protections in place to stop errant casters from creating undead with their enhanced bodies. This also means that the soul of a wielder is meant to pass on instantly, making it very hard to contact and or raise."_ This was new information to her, though Nino just nodded his head. _"When I bring people back, its always with the miraculous cure."_ Marinette was getting sleepy again. _"Which uses both the magic from the akuma, and my lucky charm power."_ Tikki had told her about this time and time again, though it still made little sense to her. _"The negative energy from the akuma, and the positive energy from my lucky charm feed off of each other until there is enough power to undo the damage that has been done. Its similar to what happens when someone makes a wish with the ladybug and cat miraculous. The reason I can heal people and bring back the dead caused by an akuma attack is because of all the negative magic in the air from the akuma. Even if-"_ Oh god, Tikki was on another lecture. Maybe if she just closed her eyes for a moment. _"Marinette, stay with me."_ Nope. _"Finally what happened with the zombies was the reanimation of the bodies, no soul involved. The ample amount of necrotic energy that filled the area more than made up for the energy I need from an akuma. Which is what made healing them easy and quick. Damage to the body is nothing compared to even a metaphorical scratch on the soul."_

Marinette, after a few minutes of processing, realized to her shock that she had never stopped to think about how it worked back then. How had she never though to question it before? This past month she had realized there were a lot of things that she never questioned before. Like how she never noticed all the similarities between Chat and Adrien.

 _"Look"_ Said Nino. _"That was a great speech and all, but I'm pretty sure Alya is asleep standing up, and I'm not sure if I understood half of what you just said. We need to get some rest before we continue to investigate. Marinette, you said something about checking where he_ ** _should_** _be buried. You and I can go and take a look after we all get some damn sleep. Alya... ALYA!"_ Alya jumped like someone had shocked her with a cattle prod. _"What?! I'm awake!"_ Though she said that her eyes were crossed and her head was drooping already. _"Me and Marinette are going to check out the grave yard. While we do that, you need to find Queen Bee and have her help you search around for Chat or Adrien."_ He saw the delirium mounting inside her and still continued. _"I know that she is not your favorite person at the moment, or ever, but we need to work together. If this is one of Hawkmoths plots we need to know. If Chat is back... There is a chance that Adrien is too. Unless this is another Copy Cat situation. Understood everyone?"_ Before anyone could raise a question, he walked over to the couch and said: _"Now let's get some sleep."_ Then he promptly fell to the couch and passed into sleep.

* * *

(Nino)

It was gone. Not upturned. Not disturbed. Just Gone! No headstone, no hole. NOTHING! How was this even possible? They had been there when he was put into the ground! The entire class had shown up to his funeral! They had all talked about afterwards as part of Miss Bustiers therapy session afterwards. There was no way He had imagined it. He and Marinette had gone to both the funeral home where the actual funeral service was held, and the graveyard next too it. They had checked the coroner's logs, the funeral records, even the financial reports. None of them showed that anything had happened in the last month. Even the Employees here seemed down right oblivious! None of them even noticed he and Marinette were even there until they actually grabbed on of them and shook him to get his attention. What the hell was going on. Nino turned his head to ask Marinette if she had any ideas. Oh crap, she looked worse than he felt. She was just standing there, staring at a part of the graveyard. Was she shaking? He was so stupid to bring her here, he should get her out of here, but... he still had to find some shred of evidence for anything!

He went over to her, hoping that a break from questioning the apathetic staff would let his brain rest. It felt like someone was squeezing his head. _"Are you alright Marinette?"_

What the hell was he asking? Of course she isn't alright. This is an insane situation. 

_"It should be right here."_ She was staring at the large space between headstones. The same space they had all been gathered around for Adrien's funeral. Marinette was right, it was the spot where his grave should be. It's not, but it should be. She had been staring for at least as long as Nino had been talking to the employees of the funeral home. He looked down at his watch. Which showed 7 P.M. on its face. How long had they been here?

 _"I know Marinette... Hey are you with me_ here?" Now that he was paying closer attention to her, he could see her eyes were glazed over. _"Earth to Marinette, maybe... we should leave."_ What was he saying? No. Leaving was an over reaction. Surely. He still had things to do here. He still had to figure out what was going on here. Wait, what was it he had to figure out? His head felt like someone had turned on a blender inside his skull!

 _"_ **_MASTER!_ ** _Can you hear me?"_ When did Wayzz leave his backpack? Wait. _"Wayzz dude! what are you do-"_ And again. For the 5th time in, what? 12 hours? Nino was interrupted. Wayzz cut in saying: _"Now is no the time to worry about our secrets. As no one here will notice. Master can not you feel it? The magic at work here. Something is wrong. Very Wrong. I have been working to shield your mind."_ His mind? Oh is that why his head hurt like crazy? _"Wayzz what's going on? Wait. Oh my god. We've been here for 5 hours. Wayzz we need to go. Now."_

Wayzz floated in front of him for a moment. _"Master, we must be careful. The same force that tried to trap you here will try and keep you from leaving. You need to see what I do."_ Then the kwami started to shake his hands above Nino. A shining dust fell from them, right into his eyes. _"Ack. Wayzz dude! What are talking abo..."_ This time he could blame no one but himself for not being able to finish. The sight before him was stunning. In the air drifted streams of colors. Like someone had dropped a color palette into water. A sinister purple wove its way around and through the heads of people who work here. The same purple that was circling and probing at Marinette. 

_"There... now... you can... see the magic... I have to rest now. Hurry, and escape."_ Wayzz phased into Ninos back pack. 

Nino snapped out of his daze. _"MARINETTE!"_ At this she nearly jumped out of her skin. _"Wha. What? Nino. What's going on with your eyes?"_ She looked at him like a horn had sprouted on his face. Which for all he knew, one had.

_"No time to explain. We have to leave."_

_"Leave? Don't we still have to... wait... What are we..."_

He could see the way the magic rippled around her head. How the purple writhed and tried to dig into her head. He grabbed at her wrist, and started to run toward the gate. When he reached for Marinette, he saw how his had was rimmed in the same green of 'Shell-ter'. He also saw how it was spreading slowly to Marinette. Whatever Wayzz had done, it was more than just enhanced sight. HE was going to get him an entire shipping container of cookies later to make up for the energy Wayzz had to be spending.

Even as Nino was running with a sobering Marinette in tow, he could see a shade of magic similar to, but different from, the same purple magic that had tried to snare both himself and Marinette. This new purple was pooling in places around the path leading out of the grave yard. The pools also seemed to be moving toward them. Nino looked around, still clutching Marinettes forearm. _"Nino? Whats going on? Why are we running?"_ Oh good, shes coherent now. _"No time to explain, we have to get out of here now."_ He let go of her arm, and pointed to a path that would lead to the fence surrounding the graveyard. _"Over there, we can't take the gate. To much bad magic. Trust me on this one."_

Marinette seemed perplexed for a moment. Nino really hoped that she was not falling under the effects of what ever was going on again. The green magic that covered him also coated Marinette in a thin shell. The purple energies didn't seem to like the protection she now had, as it was dissipating. Then she said: _"Ok, but I am going to want an explanation as to why my head feels like someone tried to make scrambled eggs inside my brain."_ With that, they started running for the fence. One of the masses of purple magic shot itself toward Marinette. Nino reacted on impulse, shifting his stance to block the incoming blob with his shield. Which he only had... when transformed. The magic hit his arm, and it went slack and numb. Also, It hurt like hell! 

_"GA! Run faster! We must run_ **_Faster!_ ** _"_ He said while holding his arm. They got to the fence and started climbing. In a matter of seconds Marinette was over the top, and giving a hand to Nino. Right as he was about to round the top and scramble down, he felt a jolt of pain in his leg, and it went numb from the shin down. 

They were over and out. Both of them laying on the ground winded from their mad dash through, what as far an Nino could tell was damn mine field of malicious magic. 

Then, Marinettes phone started ringing. Or did they just now notice that it was ringing? Nino couldn't especially care. Running at such speeds... Why the hell was that so exhausting?

_"Come on. We have to get to Alya and Chloe. Something went wrong... Its Harbinger, their back."_

* * *

(Alya)

(During the hours that Nino and Marinette spent at the graveyard)

It wasn't fair. Not fair in the least. Why should she have to be the one paired with Chloe of all people? She knew the answer, and it was more than necessary. Nino had explained it again after they had all woken up to the alarm he set. If Marinette and Chloe where left alone they would either both breakdown and cry, or start fighting each other in their grief. Nino didn't want Marinette to be the one searching for Adrien. Er- Chat? And He himself had to go and look over the documents from the Morgue or wherever they went. He was better with paperwork she'll give him that. All of this meant that she had to be the one to team up with Chloe, and go cat hunting. Maybe she was being a bit harsh on Chloe. 

Chloe had not, in fact, taken well to the news that Chat was back and was probably killing people and running around attacking his old team. The poor girl still looked like she was one scare away from having a complete mental break down...

Not that Alya would admit to it, but she actually felt bad for her. If anyone loved Adrien more than Marinette, it was Chloe. If anyone was processing all this worse then Marinette, it was Chloe.

They had spent hours combing the streets, but it looked like their quarry would only come out at night. She guessed she had some time to kill until true night hit. though it was only a couple minutes away from 7. Now that Alya was paying less attention to the surrounding city, and more attention to her partner for the night, she was noticing the way her suit was filled out more than usual. especially in her waist of all places.

Before Alya could stop her self, she blurted out _"Have you gained weight?"_ Her hands were around her mouth in an instant! _"I'm so sorry, I have no idea why I said that!"_ She was blushing hard enough to contend with the red of LB's suit. Her eyes were closed shut, and she was braced for a slap, or at least a very indignant rant.

Chloe just let out a sigh. Then she said evenly: _"I suppose that's the effect of stuffing my face with desserts. It's about all I've done for the last few weeks. What have you been up to?"_

Alya was taken aback, she remembered how she found Chloe. Nearly trapped inside an ever increasing fort of pillows and sheets. Just sitting there with empty ice cream boxes around her, Pollen in a food coma on the couch. She had been crying, just laying there. It was several moments before Alya had realized she was asleep, and weeping on the floor. Bringing her up to speed had been painful. It was a full hour before Chloe had composed herself enough to transform, which seemed to settle her more than anything Alya did. Now Chloe was admitting to pigging out on junk food and ice cream? She had seen the evidence before her, and even tried to bring it up before they went out, And now Chloe was talking about it and making an attempt at chit chat?! This, more than anything else in this crazy situation, surprised her.

 _"H-Hey"_ She started in an uncertain tone before continuing more steadily. _"We all cope in our own ways."_ She glanced around, using their search for Chat as an excuse not to make eye contact. _"I.. I worked as much as I could this past month... Nino has been trying to make a new tape for his DJ gigs... neither of us has actually accomplished much..."_

After a moment. _"Still better than me. Hey... How is Mar-"_ A crash and scream broke through the afternoon air. Alya and Chloe shot up into a standing position and started looking around for the source of the sounds. Alya's hearing was almost better than Chats, and her ability for pick out people from a distance was second to none. She spun around trying to find who she assumed would be Chat.

Someone jumped onto the roof, and started toward the pair.

Long dark robes fluttered in the now fetid wind, thick stained rope was tied around their waist. Black cloth hood hiding a skeletal face, which spewed fog and mist from every opening. White glows served as eyes. Eyes that lock onto the 2 heroes like a hawk finding field mice. A curved scythe made of a sickly looking wood and rusted iron fitting sat in their right bone hand. They were holding a human heart in their left hand! IT BEAT!

"Where is he?" The hollow voice, like foul wind blowing though dead tree branches, demanded.

 _"Run!"_ Alya Screamed. Her brain was locking up, both from the fear that the akuma commanded and from the terror that was all Alya. She glanced over at Queen Bee, who looked as horrified as she felt. It was them, the only akuma made in over a month, the only akuma to truly hurt them in any way that lasted. 

It was Harbinger. The only akuma to kill a Miraculous team member, and make it last.

Queen Bee collapsed next to Alya. All she could do was pick up her friend and start running. It was about 3 city blocks before she realized that Harbinger was chasing after them, demanding _"WHERE IS THE DEAD CAT?"_ How could its whisper of a voice yell so loudly? _"Queen! Call Ladybug and Carapace."_ No response but muted sobbing. _"QUEENBEE!"_ It was useless. Queen Bee had curled up into Alya's arms, and was crying the same thing over and over again. _"Oh god, its our turn. He's going to kill us. No no no no no no."_ Iterations of this were the only things passing from Chloe's lips. Shit, they had to get away from Harbinger. Enough distance to call the others and maybe break Chloe out of her stupor. If a distraction was needed, Rena was fox for the job.

 _"Mirage"_ Yelled Rena Rogue, as her flute awkwardly danced in her hands. Exact doubles of Rena Rogue and Queen Bee appeared and started running near the originals. Both sets passed behind a billboard, breaking line of sight. Then they sprinted in opposite directions from each other. 

Harbinger stopped for a moment, and had to choose a target, He held up the hand with a heart and started swaying it from left to right. _"Guide me." Guide me so that I may slay your friends."_ It pulsed and Harbinger raced after the pair that went left. They went across the roof of an apartment building, he floated above it. They went behind a wall, he went through it. For 30 minutes the chase went on. Until, they stopped and Harbinger reached out with his scythe, and cut the pair into ribbons. Which then became motes of light as they dissipated, laughter filling the air. _"NO! You lied!"_ It squeezed the heart so hard a normal one would have been crushed. This one simply beat faster and harder. 

While Harbinger had been hunting the illusion down, Rena Rogue had run out of time. Trixx had spent all of his energy to maintain the magic until Harbinger had destroyed it.

Alya put a still transformed Chloe down on the ground, who then started groping around for her legs and held on for dear life.

_"_ _Glad to see you have your priorities straight."_

Where did she put her- Ah there it was. She turned her phone back on and called Marinette. She hopped that the girl was still in her civilian clothes. If Marinette was LB at the moment, she doubted her call would connect. 

_"Ah, Alya. Are you there?"_

_"Thank god you picked up Mari. Get over here quick by my place. It's Harbinger, it's back! and-"_ She was cut off mid sentence by the third scream of the night.

This one was throaty, and ragged. It also sounded familiar, bone chillingly familiar. She brought her head up from behind the ledge of her roof.

Where she saw Chat Noir tearing Harbinger apart.

Post Script: Earlier when Rena and Queen had to run around the city. Just before the scene above takes place:

_"I can't believe you took so long to catch up to me."_

_"YOU POINTED IN A DIRECTION AND RAN OFF! Be glad I remembered I could find you on my top."_

_"It wasn't even him, now we have to... did you just say you found me with your top..."_

_"Well yea, our weapons can show us... the other... members of... our team."_

_"Are we dumb-asses?"_

_"Yes we are. Lets agree to say we though of this earlier on when we report shall we?."_

_"We shall!"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this chapter.
> 
> This will be continued on in the 3rd chapter: Mémoire Brisée
> 
> please be forgiving of this work. As i am still a novice.  
> I apologize for how poor the writing may be.


	3. Mémoire Brisée

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They had been hunting him for hours. How did they keep finding him? They looked like her, so much it hurt. He couldn't attack them, all he could do was run, and hope they lost him. It didn't matter anymore, IT had come. He could feel something inside himself roil and roar at its presence. The same part of him that attacked her. He couldn't let it take control again, but he had to go toward it. He had to stop it.
> 
> He had to kill it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one is a bit late. It kept trying to go wonky on me, and i have a ton of work atm. I hope you all enjoy it. This was super hard, so i'm sorry if its not very good. Please be forgiving...

(Chat Noir)

They where chasing him, they had even gotten close to finding him. Somehow they just kept following him. He was certain that they never saw him, but they kept following. He over heard parts of their conversations when they got close. They were specifically hunting him. They called him Chat Noir. Just like what that man had called him. Just like what everyone kept yelling. They mentioned **her** at one point. Ladybug, she had been sent to the graveyard. It hurt, his head was throbbing. There was a pain in the hole of his chest. A stone fell into the alley he was hiding in. He looked up, broken from his pain induced stupor. There they were, right above him. Two women: an orange fox, and a yellow-black bee. They were shaking tools of some kind. _"Why won't it work?"_ The orange one said. He could feel her name at the tip of his tongue. _"Well, he isn't exactly a member of the team right now."_ The yellow one said. _"Remember how we tried to find Hawkmoth with the miraculous locators?"_ 'Hawkmoth' That word sounded familiar, and alarming. _"Yea, he led us into a trap, nearly took out LB and Chat. But back then... Hawkmoth did that by forcing his Kwami to alter the magic in vile ways. Master Fu warned us of the dangers of messing with the magic of the Miraculous."_ What were they talking about?! 'kwami', 'Hawkmoth', 'Master Fu'. Those words echoed around in his head. He thought it was going to split open. His chest felt like something was being ripped out of it! He had to run, run and hid from these women who's words hurt his mind. So he did. He could hear them talking as he ran, as something inside him screamed out its malice filled cry. An hour passed as their cat and mouse resumed. Then the yellow one said. _"Hey... How is Mar-"_ Then he felt it, the shiver of terror that worked its way down his spine. The spike of memories that bolted through his mind.

He could feel it as it approached them. He heard a scream, like rending metal. Blood, far too much blood. How could one person have so much? He could feel the memory, an ocean of red and black and death. There were more screams, but they where different. Not the seemingly melodic cry of his nightmares, but screams of fear and terror. He could hear heavy foot falls, those women must running away. _"WHERE IS THE DEAD CAT!"_ A voice that made him want to vomit. A voice like whispered threats and fulfilled promises, yelled out as it chased his pursuers. His head hurt, it felt like it was going to be ripped open, a casualty of the thing that was erupting out of his soul! Flashes of running, of pushing someone out of the way for the final time. He was on the ground at this point. Hands clutching his head, he could feel something inside his mind shattering apart. With a flash of clarity, he... Adrien remembered something. He remembered the moment he died. As the mental block, keeping that trauma at bay, broke against a new facet of his being. He was forced to wake up.

* * *

(A fractured memory)

Things had been steadily getting harder. The Akuma and Sentimonsters had been rough fights, even before they started teaming up. Having Rena and Carapace keep their miraculous with them had made it all easier for a time. Then, Master Fu died... No one knew how it happened. He got a call, a date and time, and orders to appear as Chat Noir. Ladybug and the others all showed up as well. It was a startlingly brief affair. Miss Lenoir was there. He didn't remember much of the actual service, his therapist said it was most likely from shock. No one would tell him how Fu died. Carapace seemed to take it the hardest out of everyone. He is... was... Fu's direct disciple. He took so much pride from it. Not a day later that IT started to appear. It called it's self Harbinger. There was no ulterior motive, to reason as to why they, whoever they where, had been akumatized. They still didn't even know if it was an akuma or not. What ever it was... it was kicking their asses. 

Carapace went flying past him. Right, there are more pressing matters. Chat ran toward Harbinger, his staff making contact with the road before launching him into the air above his enemy. Ladybug was on the other side of Harbinger, ready to complete their dual attack. His staff struck Harbingers out stretched scythe, but as his boots where about to land squarely on his opponents face, er... skull, he phased through the rest of harbinger. It was as he crashed into LB and they went tumbling down a section of the street, that Chat remembered that Harbinger can travel through solid objects like they are made of gasses. That felt wrong! So wrong! _"Excuse me, my lady."_ He said as he de-tangled him self from Ladybug. Oh god, for a moment there, Ladybug was wrapped around him. If this where better circumstances he would be thanking Plagg and Tikki from the bottom of his heart. As it stood, this was neither the time nor the place...

_"Venom"_ yelled Queen Bee as she tried to land a hit on Harbinger in any kind of meaningful way. They had found out during the first few battles against Harbinger that even if Chloe hit with her power, if she hit 'arms' or cloak it wouldn't count as a paralyzing strike. The entire team hoped a blow to Harbingers skull would activate her ability and stop him long enough for them to purify the akuma. She was grabbed by the throat and smashed into Rena Rogue. The pair went flying in the same direction as Carapace, who's shield had been completely shattered by Harbingers weapon. It was an scythe, its handle was a sickly pale wood with knots of dark rot trailing through it, its blade was an over-sized rusted thing that was sharp enough to cut through steel beams. He and Ladybug where still getting up. No one had much energy left, the fight had started at noon and the sun had set at some point in the battle. Saying no one had energy left was wrong, Harbinger was still going strong. How did he have this much strength left? Every one on the team had re-transformed 3 times, Ladybugs lucky charm had been destroyed by Harbingers scythe. Lucky Charms where supposed to be unbreakable. Trying to cataclysm Harbingers scythe had been next to impossible. Harbinger had put his own bones in the way, that meant the overgrown gardening tool had to hold the akuma butterfly. No matter how many fights went by, or how many bones or limbs that Harbinger lost, it always got away and came back stronger with new limbs and fresh clean bones. He knew what that meant, everyone did. If this kept going on, it would only mean more people would die. _"We have to end this now, my lady._ _"_ Was she listening? She just kept staring at the shattered pieces of her lucky charms. He could see an idea bloom inside her head.

Harbinger started floating toward them. _"My LADY! Watch out!"_ He yelled. He sprung to push her down, and then he moved to roll out of the way of imminent death. He moved just fast enough for the blade to miss his head, but not fast enough for the scythe to miss entirely. His left shoulder burned with pain as he felt the blade enter and exit as fast as lightning, he couldn't feel his entire arm from the wound down.

_"Ladybug focus or we-"_

_"I've got a plan!"_

Then she ran toward one of the less damaged lucky charms a metal net, and grabbed it. _"Chat!"_ She said while pointing at mostly intact power cable. _"Rena, Queen, Carapace!"_ She yelled at the three who were approaching the fight again. He ran to grab the cable she needed. 'Had her lucky charm shown her a plan?' he thought. He held the cord in his hands while dodging Harbingers attacks. If Queen wasn't try to clean his clock, and Rena Rogue and Carapace weren't running distraction he would already had been batted away or worse. Ladybug landed next to him and grabbed the other end of the cable and started to weave it into the wire net she had picked up. _"When I give you the signal throw it!"_ Then she ran toward a street light with the free end of the cable in her hands, and started climbing. 'What was she-' _"OH!"_ This was going to be brilliant! He jumped around to keep out of reach of that murderous blade. He could see Carapace grabbing a shard of lucky charm mirror, and Rena had pulled darts from somewhere and was blowing them through her flute. Those two never ceased to amaze him. He started to get into the best position to throw a net. It was just as Ladybug was about to give the signal... when everything went wrong. Queen over reached with a punch and was grabbed again. _"Don't you throw me!"_ She yelled, though her words fell on deaf 'ears' as Harbinger slung her, directly into the street light this time. She hit with enough to bend the steel, and he could hear crunching sounds as Queen Bee collapsed to the ground.

 _"Now!"_ She yelled as she fell from the light, she had smashed the bulb and wired the power cable into the socket. 'When did she?' There was no time to answer that thought, as he had one chance to throw the net. One chance to stop Harbinger after weeks of marauding. Carapace and Rena had both grabbed an arm each, Harbinger was just about to phase through them. He threw the net, electricity arcing off of it in waves. This was it. Harbinger was finally going to be stopped. 

Instead, first Carapace and then Rena Rogue were sent sailing into the net, which then crashed into Chat Noir. All three started to sizzle from the power running through it. _"Shit!"_ Ladybug said as she tried to disconnect the street lamp from the cable. She had turned her back on Harbinger. He could see it, almost like a window into the future opened up, Harbinger was going to kill her with his scythe and then watch as everyone else either bleed out or fried. He realized he could move his legs and his right arm. He realized he had a choice to make, He could run to push Ladybug out of the way and finally cataclysm that scythe leaving his friends to cook inside the net... **or...** he could push his lady out of the way and cataclysm the pole saving his team mates. He could see each situation play out, over and over again. He could see the consequences... He chose.

Ladybug looked behind her as she fell out of the way. His eyes locked with hers as he destroyed the pole. Their eyes where still locked when Harbingers blade ripped into his chest and tore out his heart. 'Run" he mouthed... as the world fell away... someone was screaming... Someone was crying. 

_"Not you kid! Not again!"_

* * *

(Chat Noir)

_"AAAHHH!"_ he yelled as ran toward Harbinger. His skin felt like it was made of fire, everything was moving so slow. When did he start running towards it. His staff went crashing into Harbingers head faster than the skeletal monstrosity could react. Harbingers skull fractured as the pulse of destructive energy ran through the pole and into the bone. _"AAAAAHHHH!"_ This time it was Harbingers turn to yell and scream. It grabbed him, and threw the feline superhero into a building. Bricks and mason work fell around him as he got back up and made to re enter the fight. _"Come back here! Come back here so **I can KILL YOU!**_ _"_ His words reverberated through the air and caused Harbinger to stagger as the magic laced within them hit its target. If one could see the magics being used in this fight, they would most certainly comment on how a 'Chat Noir' should not be able to use cursing magic or shunt a 'Cataclysm' through his weapon. They would also note that very situation had just occurred and that the magics around and in the reanimated Chat Noir where becoming fouler by the minute.

The fight went on for nearly an hour. Not that Chat was keeping track of, or could care about, the time. Harbinger would attack, Chat would dodge. Every 10 minutes or so Chat would summon destructive negative energy from the depths of his soul, and destroy another piece of the monster that killed him. The pair crashed into the roof of a building. One that, if he could focus on anything other than killing the thing in front of him, chat would have recognized. Harbinger tried to raise his scythe to intercept the incoming Chat missile, but found his weapon far heavier than it should be. His swing came in too late to hit Chat Noir. Then the 'Cataclysm', wrapped around Chats hand, found a new home in the collar bone of Harbinger. As the bones disintegrated, Harbingers screams could be heard for miles. This was it, he would stop this monster once and for all. As Chat Noir raised his hand into the air, the power of yet another Cataclysm coursing through his veins, he heard her. _"Chat! NO!"_

Chat Noir looked up, away from his prey.

Ladybug looked across the rooftops, towards a man about to execute someone.

Harbinger looked at Chat Noirs guts, as his scythe came bursting through them in the moment of hesitation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! That overtly violent. Sorry there is not comedic blerb at the end, didn't feel right with this chapter. Ihope you enjoyed this bit of exposition. Please tell me what you thought in the comments below!


	4. Desecration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hurt. HURT! He was hurt, he should run... hide... No. He should destroy.
> 
> He should eat.

(Marinette)

Marinette and Nino had ran as fast as they could toward Alya's apartment. By the time she had climbed to the roof and met up with the other two members of their group, the fight was in full swing. _"Come back here! Come back here so **I can KILL YOU!** "_ She felt the power in those words fill the air, and she saw Nino look around wide eyed. _"Holy shit!"_ He whispered under his breath. The Fight going on just a few meters away was awe inspiring, and terrifying. Chat Noir was swinging his staff and claws, both of which where wrapped in dark energy. _"Alya?"_ Nino asked around the rooftop. Both Marinettes and Ninos eyes landed on the figures of their teammates. They also saw how Alya and Chloe were huddled around each other, and that Chloe was rocking back and forth. Nino hobbled more than ran over to his girlfriend. The flight from the graveyard had taken its toll on his legs. 

_"Alya, babe. Are you ok?"_

_"Wha- NINO! Thank Trixx you're here! Please tell me you have food for our Kwami's?"_

_"Yes, before that, what's going on? Is THAT Chat?"_

After the first big fight that required multiple transformations, Nino had started to carry extra food prefered by each Kwami. Nino was still sour about the fact his bag smelled like Camembert. Wayzz had already entered while they were running. From the sounds of eating, keeping up the protections on the two of them required a lot of energy. _"Wayzz, man. We are fine, drop the spell or you'll burn yourself out."_ After a moment, the turtle kwami phased through the roof of the bag.

 _"Thank you Master. I should conserve my energies, we will have to fight whoever wins the battle before us."_

Suddenly a wave of terror washed over Marinette as the green energy surrounding her fell away. She felt like she had to run, to run and hide. _"Marinette! Snap out of it!"_ Ninos words brought her back to reality. She could feel Harbingers magic like a bolt of electricity through her spine. It had been able to cause fear in people, but it was only if they looked it in the eyes AND it put effort into scaring you. Harbinger was meters away, and Marinette was turned away from it. How was it this strong? She didn't have time to think about that. they had to get away from this, Chat looked like he was going to kill someone... and right now that might include everyone on this roof. _"We need to get down stairs into the apartment. It's definitely not safe out here."_

Just as she started for the stair well that brought them here, a blast of malignant energy from the fight smashed into the stairwell... The only stairwell... Chat and Harbinger were fighting several rooftops away, and it looked like neither of them had even noticed. That was both a blessing and a curse, as it meant they probably wouldn't come over and attack the group, but it also meant that the fallout from this fight was going to be massive. 

The fight continued an a constant rhythm. Harbinger swing for Chat, Chat retaliating with Cataclysm and forcing Harbinger to back off or have his scythe destroyed. Then Chat would slam that dark, cataclysm like energy into Harbingers bones and break away a few ribs, or a tibia. Marinette saw something horrifying... Something that made her spine shiver in a way that had nothing to do with the magical fear that was being thrown around the battlefield. Chat was Smiling, he was SMILING, everytime he broke away a few bones. She saw how he could have destroyed the scythe more than a few times... but he kept choosing to hurt harbinger. The fact that he never Cataclysmed Harbingers skull was more tellign than anything else.

During all the time that the pair of monsters fought, the team prepared. Wayzz was able to shield Chloe's mind from the magic trying to tear it apart... She was still curled around Alya for the most part... but she was talking again. Tikki started her work to heal the damage done to Nino when they ran from the graveyard. Trixx did her best to hide everyone from sight through her illusions. Finally, Pollen was trying to calm Chloe down from the absolute terror and P.T.S.D. she was experiencing. The humans of the group all did their best to rest and help the Kwami rest themselves. All of this planning and prep work was unceremoniously ended when, 40 minutes after it started, Harbinger and Chat slammed into the roof of a certain apartment complex. The Kwami had transformed their wielders before the dust had even cleared. Ladybug was the first of the team to stagger toward the fight. As she looked up, she saw the gleam in her partners eyes, and the glint of his impossibly sharp teeth. She also saw the 'Cataclysm' about to slam into the head of the akuma. 

_"Chat! NO!"_

That's all it took. His eyes met hers, the glazing over them receding for a moment of clarity. She saw how guilt and fear entered his eyes in place of the rage and glee he had been feeling. She also saw how his guts where ripped out by Harbingers scythe. 

_"NOOOOOOO!"_

She wasn't even sure who screamed it. She was running toward Harbinger and the collapsing form of Chat Noir. Her yoyo was already wrapped around him as she pulled it in. Had she been able to think, she might have realized pulling a man whose intestines are falling out is a terrible idea. Chat Noir, along with various bits of his anatomy, went flying toward Ladybug, even as the rest of the heroic team entered the scene.

Rena Rogue was cursing and already using her ability to try and distract Harbinger. Who was in-turn already rising to his feet, despite missing many if not most of the bones required to do that. Carapace was putting up his 'Shellter' even as Queen Bee threw her top at Harbinger, activating her powers to try and stun him before he could get away. All of this is an elaborate and kind way of saying everyone panicked and got in the others way. The 'Shellter' blocked the Stinging Top, which in-turn caused a large crack to appear in the fall of force. The illusion, of course, phased through the barrier. However, with the real team outlined in green at the moment, the mirages where less than useful. None of it mattered to Ladybug. She was holding Chat Noir, he just kept looking into her eyes. The glint of magic fading even as he tried to speak. 'Lucky Charm' gave her a funeral bouquet. Chat didn't say anything, he couldn't... He was turning to dust and ash in her arms. 

* * *

(Chloe)

Chloe still couldn't believe what had happened. Even now, sitting on Alya's couch, she couldn't believe that Harbinger ran away. Well, she could, IT had been really hurt, and the cracks in its skull were growing bigger even as it stood up. Now that she thought about it, they had never seen Harbinger replace its skull... As much as she wanted to focus on that, and she really truly did want to follow where that rabbit hole would lead... probably to more ice cream... There was a bigger problem in the room... The fact that Marinette still hadn't started talking. Alya and Nino where right next to her, trying to talk to her... but she just kept sitting there... Chloe knew the look Marinette had all too well... She should go over and say something, But what is she going to say... a slideshow of every nasty thing she had ever said to Marinette played in her mind... That was another thing she would have to process later... Part of the month she spent trying to "grieve" had been her trying to process the fact she had been so horrible to her hero... The other part of it was processing Adrien... There would be more time for her own breakdowns later... hopefully. Right now, she needed to join the rest of the team and try and help Marinette.

She got up to go and sit down next to Marinette, who was sitting in the middle of the couch. She was half-way across the room when she stopped... "This wasn't going to help..." she thought. Chloe thought back, back a month ago and focused.   
  


_"Alright everyone."_ Said Chloe in a voice stronger and more sure than she had ever felt in her life. _"Let's rest tonight. Tomorrow. We find what ever hole that bastard is hiding in... and we destroy him."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO SORRY! I am dreadfully sorry for how long this took... I promise the next chapter wont take so long!

**Author's Note:**

> This story is something that has been haunting the back of my head ever since i read a certain work by SeasonoftheGeek. The idea that a holders very soul is intrinsically tied to their miraculous. The idea that The miraculous can influence and even change their holders, be it for the worse of better.
> 
> A link to said work: https://seasonofthegeek.tumblr.com/post/174253870721/marichat-may-day-25-epilogue  
> I should point out that this takes place in an AU where Chat and Ladybug never found out who each other where. I.E: No Chat Blanc.
> 
> Please be forgiving of this work, as it is my first submission to this site, and my first real attempt at writing anything other than an essay. I do not doubt my ability to make stupid mistakes, please i ask again for your patience and forgiveness.


End file.
